The top ten peers' peers of 2013

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In football there's the players' player of the year. In the movie industry there are the Oscars. But who would be the front runners if there were such a thing as the peers' peer of the year?

In the absence of that type of, er, peer review vote, we've come up with a top 10 based on the number of times each member was name-checked by colleagues in the House of Lords*. This approach may not measure popularity or power, but it gives an impression of impact.

1st: Lord Deben

John Gummer, or Lord Deben as he is now known, tops the chart for 2013, with 270 references to his name appearing in Hansard's transcripts of House of Lords debates.

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Lord Deben debates same-sex marriage

He has been a Conservative peer since 2010, previously serving as environment secretary under John Major and agriculture minister under Baroness Thatcher.

Active in numerous policy areas, Lord Deben was a strong supporter of the same-sex marriage legislation which wended its way through Parliament in 2013.

His plea to curb noisy protestors outside Parliament also resonated in the chamber.

But Lord Deben's advocacy of a ban on caste discrimination in the UK won him more citations than any other issue.

"Is it right that a person who is a subject of Her Majesty in this country shall not be able to claim against discrimination when they would be able to in India or Nepal, or indeed in Bangladesh?" he asked.

Lib Dem Lord Avebury commented: "I have seldom listened to a more powerful speech in this House."

The ensuing government defeats prompted a U-turn on the subject from ministers.

2nd: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

Another former Conservative cabinet minister, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, achieved second place with 256 citations in 2013.

Unafraid to give his own frontbench a stern dressing down, he condemned Chancellor George Osborne's "ill-thought through, confused and muddled" move to allow employees to give up some employment rights in return for shares in the company they work for.

He also had stinging criticism for the Lib Dems in 2013, accusing them of "double crossing" PM David Cameron over electoral boundary reforms and attempting "to gerrymander our constitution for political reasons".

But the self-professed "committed unionist" and former secretary of state for Scotland's contributions to debates on Scottish independence, which were scathing of the SNP's "wishful thinking" and "nonsense" policy pronouncements, were to win him the most citations.

3rd: Lord Pannick

The top-ranking independent or crossbench peer, Lord Pannick was mentioned by name in debates 255 times in 2013.

How was this data obtained?

Computer code was used to trawl through transcripts of every debate from 2013, looking for key phrases

Search terms included "the noble Lord", "my noble friends", "the noble and learned baroness", and "the right reverend prelate", which precede, by convention, references to named peers

When names were found after these attributions, they were added to a database and counted to produce the total number of citations

A QC who has represented the Sunday Times, the BBC, and the Queen, his verdicts on legal affairs are frequently deployed by colleagues to bolster their case.

Like Lord Forsyth, Lord Pannick's interventions in the shares-for-rights bill helped to secure concessions from the government.

He also strongly criticised ministers' handling of a case involving a graduate who challenged in the courts the legal standing of regulations underpinning a back-to-work scheme that saw her stacking shelves at Poundland in return for continued benefit payments.

After the courts ruled against them, ministers brought in new rules allowing the scheme to continue.

But their use of emergency legislation was an "abuse of power", Lord Pannick declared.

4th: Lord Greaves

Liberal Democrat Lord Greaves garnered 252 citations in 2013.

A member of Lancashire County Council for 23 years and Pendle Borough Council for the best part of four decades, he brought extensively cited experience to bear on administrative changes to the planning regime and reforms to the definition of anti-social behaviour.

He also led a well-subscribed debate on "outdoor activities", reminding peers of a line by pioneering conservationist John Muir: "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

Flaws with the data

In many debates, references are made to points raised by peers without their names being used directly, because the references are obvious to those present - these citations are missed

The method delivers a dividend to all-rounders who turn up often; those with huge influence in certain fields who may prompt many citations per appearance, such as former chiefs of the defence staff or ex-top judges, are arguably under-represented

Citations that do not occur in the main Lords chamber, such as those in committee hearings, are not included

A large number of citations does not necessarily mean a peer is winning the argument; rather, they might be galvanising colleagues against their proposed course of action, although, in a sense, this is still a form of influence

The second QC to appear on this list, Lord Lester is a human rights specialist whose interventions on same-sex marriage and caste discrimination contributed heftily to his citation haul.

His dogged campaign to reform libel law, launched in 2010, came to fruition in 2013, by which time discussion of the subject in the upper chamber could not conceivably have taken place without reference to his name.

He dismissed as "manifestly excessive" a last-minute attempt to attach Lord Justice Leveson's press regulation proposals to the Defamation Bill, but the subsequent vote went against him, temporarily threatening to derail his efforts.

Lord Lester also led a debate on whether government-funded medical care for women and girls raped during armed conflicts should include abortion services "where they are medically necessary".

"Sexual violence against women is a global evil... [and] rape used as a weapon of war is often fatal," he told peers.

"Yet these women war victims are routinely denied, by blanket exclusions, life and health-saving abortions in humanitarian settings, leaving them with the terrible choice of risking an unsafe abortion, suicide or being forced to bear the child of their rapists."

6th: Lord Ramsbotham

Meanwhile, crossbench peer Lord Ramsbotham notched up 213 citations.

The former chief inspector of prisons inflicted a government defeat over probation reforms which he argued went "too far, too fast".

He also spearheaded opposition to government plans to reform campaign spending which he said would do "untold damage" to the work of charities, causing ministers to "pause" the legislation and subsequently offer some concessions.

But former Adjutant-General Lord Ramsbotham's most citation-provoking speech was on military matters.

"Nuclear weapons with the potency of Trident were appropriate weapons in Cold War strategy but are not appropriate in the post 9/11 world," he declared, to some scepticism from hawkish peers.

Top-cited Church of England members

The Bishop of Leicester: 73

The Archbishop of Canterbury: 70

The Bishop of Derby: 43

The Bishop of Guildford: 31

The Bishop of Rippon: 26

While not a frontbencher, she co-chairs a Liberal Democrat committee on home affairs, justice and equalities and was active in 2013 in debates on the Children and Families Bill and the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill.

She also raised the needs of female offenders during consideration of the Offender Rehabilitation Bill.

In a debate on women in developing countries, she told peers she felt "somewhat out of my comfort zone in speaking on this subject".

"I put my name down partly because at that point, apart from my noble friend on the front bench [Conservative Baroness Jenkin of Kennington], only men had put their names down to speak," she explained.

9th: Lord Lawson of Blaby

Lord Lawson's name passed the lips of his colleagues 206 times in 2013.

A former secretary of state for energy under Baroness Thatcher, Lord Lawson's climate-scepticism is well known.

He described the government's Energy Bill as not merely "harmless lunacy", but a "bad, bad bill", prompting criticism from - among others - former government advisor Lord Stern, the author of a report on the economics of climate change.

But the former chancellor and member of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards' contributions on financial regulation were better received.

Labour's Lord Barnett commented: "Nobody could deny - whether we agree or disagree with him, and I have had my share of disagreements with the noble Lord in my time - that he must be second to none in the breadth, depth and length of his service and experience in this House."

10th: Lord Alton of Liverpool

Crossbencher Lord Alton accounted for 204 citations in 2013.

Many of these sprang from his leadership of general debates on human rights, Korea and Burma.

But, on the domestic front, he spearheaded a bid to impose a levy on insurance companies to pay for research into cancer caused by asbestos. It failed by just seven votes.

He also delivered a stern warning over how the government's cap on rises in welfare benefits might affect disabled people who needed specially adapted vehicles.

* We have excluded ministers and opposition frontbenchers, as it is impossible to untangle their personal impact on debates from that of their office.

First Minister Carwyn Jones took questions at the Welsh Assembly earlier. There's a full run-down of what he said here.

18:48:BBC Trust

BBC Trust boss Rona Fairhead is to be questioned by MPs about her role at HSBC while the bank's Swiss arm helped wealthy clients evade tax. She will give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee alongside HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver next Monday.

"It's very hard to prove wilful neglect," Anne Lawrence, a barrister who advises the campaign group Mandate Now tells PM, of today's government proposals to extend the legislation around child abuse.

She says the danger with current proposals is that "they will scapegoat a couple of people and it will leave the culture the same as it is now".

Mandatory reporting will require people in authority, such as teachers, to report concerns. Sociologist Frank Furedi, also on PM, warned mandatory reporting could create an environment of "institutional defensiveness".

18:12:Yarl's Wood

A second member of staff at the Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre has been suspended after guards were secretly filmed referring to inmates as "animals" and "beasties". An undercover report for Channel Four News also raised concerns about self-harm among detainees. The facility is run by the private security firm, Serco, which says it has commissioned an independent review. The government says the claims are "deeply concerning".

Business Minister Nick Boles said the sanctions "do need to be looked at" and suggested a change after the election, the paper said. Mr Boles later said he was a "strong advocate of benefit sanctions in principle and in practice".

@DemosDemos

tweets: 3 million young people are undecided on who to vote for. Stat from our report #TuneInTurnOut in today's Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/getting-young-people-to-vote-from-voteselfish-to-bite-the-ballot-10081205.html …

17:39:Ed Balls on the EU

Pulling Britain out of the European Union (EU) would be a "disaster" for London and is the biggest risk to prosperity the capital faces, Ed Balls has warned.

The shadow chancellor says severing ties with Brussels would cost jobs, investment and influence and jeopardise future success. He told business organisation London First earlier: "The whole of Britain benefits from London's growth and dynamism.

"We should have no truck with the argument that if the rest of the country is to get more jobs and investment then London needs to be less successful."

@patrickwintourPatrick Wintour, Political editor, The Guardian

tweets: God no longer a red line for Clegg. "It's not something that's happened to me, it's not happened to me yet and I would embrace it."

17:25:IDS warns Tories over 'finger wagging' at the poor

Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith will use a speech in Washington this evening to warn his Conservative colleagues that they still have to show they are not driven by a desire to "punish" people on benefits, the Daily Mail reports.

Mr Duncan Smith will warn that for too long his party has addressed the poor with "fingers wagging", instead of offering them "hope".

He will say the Conservative pitch to voters has to be about more than tax, immigration and crime to show they are driven by "fairness, opportunity, and compassion".

It's unlikely there will be legislation on "wilful neglect" before the general election, says BBC political correspondent Iain Watson. The prime minister's spokesman says the next step will be to consult and that the plan is to extend a law which says health workers can be prosecuted for neglecting patients.

17:00:Re-cap

A reminder of the main stories so far today:

A report reveals errors and misjudgements by social workers and police officers in Oxfordshire over 15 years, while more than 370 children and teenagers were abused

David Cameron says "It's important we take a step back and just recognise the horrific nature of what has happened in our country" and accuses people in authority of "walking on by"

The PM announces plans to make it a criminal offence for people such as teachers and social workers not to protect children if they spot signs of abuse

Labour says the plans don't go far enough and calls for a new offence of "child exploitation" and a new legal duty to report child abuse

A damning report has been published in to the deaths of mothers and babies at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria, identifying 20 cases of significant failures that led to the unnecessary deaths of eleven babies and one mother

Former prime minister John Major attends the funeral in Moscow of the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, on behalf of the British government

16:53:Netanyahu speech to US Congress

Mr Netanyahu says the world should demand Iran stop its aggression towards its neighbours before any restrictions are lifted. He says: "For a year we've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal, well this is a bad deal. We're better off without it. Now we're being told the only alternative to this deal is war. That's not true. The alternative to this deal is a much better deal."

16:45:Netanyahu speech to US Congress

"The only difference between Iran and ISIS is that ISIS is armed with butcher's knives and captured weapons, while Iran is only a few steps away from having inter-continental ballistic nuclear weapons," Mr Netanyahu tells the US Congress. He says Iran and ISIS are fighting amongst themselves over who will be in charge of an Islamic state, adding in such circumstances that "my enemy's enemy is still my enemy".

16:42:Netanyahu speech to US Congress

Mr Netanyahu says any deal with Iran on its nuclear programme would include concessions that would leave it with a vast nuclear infrastructure that will allow it "a short breakout time" to construct a nuclear weapon. He says that Iran has proved time and again that it cannot be trusted.

16:39:Netanyahu speech to US Congress

We're going to divert away from UK politics for a mo and bring you news from the US where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is addressing the US Congress right now. He starts by saying he regrets that his visit to Congress - his third speech to Congress - appears "to have become political". That was never his intention, he says.

He adds the US has always stood by Israel, a statement which receives its first standing ovation.

He begins his speech by praising US President Barrack Obama, telling Congress Mr Obama has been a friend to Israel in many ways - some of which are known, some of which are unknown and some of which may never be known.

16:31:Falkland book wars

Earlier today Conservative backbencher Michael Fabricant called on ministers to reject a book, 'Malvinas Matters', sent around to MPs by the Argentinean ambassador. 'Malvinas', of course, is their name for the archipelago we know as the Falklands. The book, Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said, "seeks to discredit the Falkland Islanders' right to their own future". Now Damian Green MP has taken to Twitter to deliver his own diplomatic response: "Mine went straight in the recycling bin."

16:18:Not just china platesBBC News Channel

Marilyn Hawes, founder of the Enough Abuse UK charity, has been voicing her concerns about today's proposals to extend the new criminal offence of "wilful neglect" of patients to children's social care, education and elected members. "Whose duty of care is it?" she asks on the News Channel. "Who now must provide the correct training so that people can recognise the behaviour of the abuser and the behaviour of the abused? How do you prove wilful neglect?" She says the number of apologies she's heard "sickens" her. Ms Hawes adds: "Quite frankly I think it's time people realise they're not apologising for breaking someone's china plates - you've broken a child's life."

16:16:Matthew WestPolitics Reporter

Right time for a shift change. Thanks to Alex and Victoria for what has been some pretty comprehensive coverage. Myself and Angela will be here to guide you through to midnight. Don't forget you can get in touch by emailing politics@bbc.co.uk or you can tweet us @bbcpolitics.

15:56:Compulsory ID cards and votingHouse of LordsParliament

Labour peer Lord Maxton argues that the best way of ensuring full voter registration and increased voter turnout is a "compulsory ID card with biological identifier" which will speed up identification and allow electronic voting form home.

Cabinet Office Minister Lord Wallace of Saltaire says this type of ID card "may be coming" but that the "large question" about "how much data the government already has on citizens and how much it is able to pool that data together" must be answered first.

15:46:Chuka Umunna's strategic Brazilian friendNew Statesman

Co-authoring articles with South American politicians is not exactly a mainstream tactic for British frontline politicians. But that is what shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has done, penning a blog for the Staggers with Brazil's minister of strategic affairs, Roberto Mangabeira Unger. The article doesn't focus much on Brazilian affairs, instead outlining the details of Labour's 'plan for prosperity' out this week. "Only by joining inclusion to innovation - and so raising productivity across the economy - can Britain assure its future," they write.

15:36:David Cameron on Oxford case

"The most important thing, apart from all the policy changes and the legal changes, is this is a big change in culture. We need to say loudly and clearly abuse of children under the age of 16 is wrong. It's not consent, it's not normal relations, it's wrong and we have to be intolerant of it and not walk on by as happened in too many cases in the past."

A re-cap: More than 370 girls may have been the victims of child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire over the past 15 years, a report has said. Both police and council officers are accused of not recognising that the girls were victims of crime and ignoring girls' and families' complaints and pleas for help. Thames Valley Police has apologised to victims and their families, saying the force is "ashamed" of its shortcomings. The key points of the report are here.

@DannyShawBBCDanny Shaw, home affairs correspondent for BBC News

tweets: Monitoring @CommonsHomeAffs where we're expecting to hear from Paul Gambaccini and his lawyer Kate Goold on Govt plans for police bail

15:01:30 years ago today...The Mirror

Labour veteran Dennis Skinner is in today's Mirror writing about his thoughts and feelings 30 years ago today - when the miners' strike finally came to an end. It was, he writes, "one of the saddest [days] of my life". Even after the passage of three decades his anger against Margaret Thatcher and her government has not abated. "The legacy of what Thatcher did survives 30 years later in low pay, zero hours contracts, casual employment and insecurity," Mr Skinner says. "Thatcher was responsible for social breakdown. We're paying the price of her vindictiveness."

@UKParlArchivesParliament Archives

tweets: Did you know...#WinstonChurchill asked #LloydGeorge to be part of his war cabinet #WW2 More at LivingHeritage

tweets: A police officer in desperate email to bosses asked how many more times did she have to raise concerns before one of girls was found dead

14:53:'Consequences for failure'

David Cameron has insisted he will end the "walk-on-by culture" that he says has blighted child sexual exploitation cases for too long. Speaking after today's Downing Street meeting, he insisted the role of the government was to "bring everyone together and make sure the lessons are being learned, and any legal changes that are necessary are passed". The prime minister defended the government's efforts so far, but said that "if professionals fail there needs to be consequences". And he added: "In the end, all the legal changes we make… none of that is a substitute for a healthy dose of common sense, rolling up your sleeves, getting stuck in and putting an end to this abuse."

Cycling safetyHouse of LordsParliament

Vice President of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Lord Jordan uses the first question in today's House of Lords to highlight the recent YouGov survey commissioned by the society, which found 68% of people would support more safe cycle routes in their area, compared with just 16% against.

Of 2,169 adults surveyed, 58% said they never usually cycled, but 39% said they would cycle more often if the roads were made safer.

@BBCNormanSNorman Smith, BBC News assistant political editor

tweets: We need to end walk on by culture over child abuse says David Cameron

14:45:Sol Campbell not running in Kensington

Ex-England footballer Sol Campbell says he's not put his name forward to be Conservative parliamentary candidate in the safe Tory seat of Kensington, which is being vacated by Sir Malcolm Rifkind. But the former Arsenal and Tottenham footballer hasn't ruled out a new career in politics altogether. Instead, he says he has ambitions "elsewhere in the political arena". Mayor of London perhaps? We can't see that dividing opinion in north London at all.

14:41:Ebbsfleet statementHouse of CommonsParliament

Communities Minister Brandon Lewis is making the second statement of the day, which is on the government's plan for thousands of new homes in Ebbsfleet in Kent. He wants to hurry the pace of the development up.

tweets: Parliament of losers: the make-up of the Commons if candidates who finished LAST in 2010 had been awarded each seat:

14:33:Some ideas for Labour

Labour's approach to the economy could go down better with voters if Ed Miliband actually comes up with some economic "ideas", Anatole Kaletsky, chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, writes in Prospect magazine. "Miliband must explain that a new model of global capitalism has been evolving since the 2008 crisis and that Labour will support this evolutionary process, while the Tories will try to resist it," he urges. Only by unifying his policies around a 'new capitalism' will he succeed in "capturing the public imagination".

14:31:The politics of crumpetsBuzzfeed

Bad news for the Beer, Baccy and Crumpet party, which has been told by the Electoral Commission it is going to have to change its name on the basis that "crumpet" could be "considered as describing women as a sexual object in a demeaning way and would cause offence". Leader Ray Hall has told BuzzFeed his party has been "nobbled" because its leaflets with the name on had already been prepared. He says he has a plan B though: "If they object to crumpet, because it's offensive and sexist, I'll add an 'S' to the end of crumpet which would not refer to females but refer to the crumpet cakes."

14:29:Sheen for PM?

As Hollywood star Michael Sheen is applauded for delivering a passionate political speech to a pro-NHS march on St David's Day, our colleagues over on the Wales team have had a look at whether he could make a move into politics.

@BBCHughPymHugh Pym, BBC News health editor

tweets: Sir Bruce Keogh, of NHS England, to review professional codes of doctors and nurses to ensure incentives to prevent cover ups

14:17:

David Cameron says children have suffered horrific sexual abuse on an "industrial scale" with too many people and organisations "walking on by".

@ayestotherightTony Grew, Commons journalist

tweets: if we have a sin bin then I can keep a list of naughty MPs. Which would be excellent.

@BBCHughPymHugh Pym, BBC News health editor

tweets: Jeremy Hunt on Morecambe Bay : it was a second Mid Staffs, where problems, albeit on smaller scale, occurred largely over same time period.

14:13:'Won't come forward'BBC Radio 4 Today

Tim Loughton, former children's minister and Conservative MP, is critical of the idea of mandatory reporting of all abuse allegations - an idea favoured by Labour. "Good social workers - and most social workers are doing a decent job in difficult circumstances - need to build up a relationship of trust with vulnerable girls, and boys in many cases as well, who're reluctant to come forward. If those victims now know that their concern is going to be escalated right to the police, and there will be implications from that, and it will be out of the control of that social worker, with whom they've got a relationship, in some cases it's going to mean that some of those victims don't come forward."

14:04:'Never again'House of CommonsParliament

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, responding to Jeremy Hunt's statement about maternity services at Furness General Hospital, says getting to the truth should have been more straightforward. "Bereaved families should never again have to fight in the way these families have to get answers," he says. He notes that the problems don't seem to have been fixed. He quotes the report saying further difficulties were noted as recently as mid-2014. The investigation into Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust found 20 major failures in care from 2004 to 2013.

14:00:'Only cardinal offence'House of CommonsParliament

Jeremy Hunt says he is asking Sir Bruce Keogh to review the professional codes of both doctors and nurses in a bid to prevent further cover-ups. "Medical notes were destroyed, mistakes covered up, quite possibly because of a defensive culture because the individuals involved thought they would lose their jobs if they were discovered to be responsible for death," he tells MPs. "But… within sensible professional boundaries, no-one should lose their job for an honest mistake made with the best intentions. The only cardinal offence is not to report that mistake openly so that the correct lessons can be learned. "

13:55:Furness General Hospital's futureBBC Radio 4

Just before Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt began his statement on the unnecessary deaths at Furness General Hospital, Barrow MP John Woodcock spoke on The World At One about the importance of not jumping to close the maternity unit. That, he said, would put more lives at risk by requiring mothers to travel an hour to Lancaster. "We have to make the lasting legacy of this an actual sustained, improved maternity unit," he said. "Improvements have been made in recent months - they're fragile but we need to sustain them."

13:54:'No greater pain'House of CommonsParliament

In the Commons, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is now on his feet making a statement about maternity services at Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, after a report by Dr Bill Kirkup found a "dysfunctional" maternity unit's "substandard care" led to the unnecessary deaths of 11 babies and one mother. Mr Hunt begins: "There is no greater pain for a parent to lose a child, and to do so knowing it was because of mistakes that we now know were covered up makes the agony even worse… we can at least provide the answers to the family's questions about what happened and why, and in doing so try and prevent a similar tragedy in the future." Our story on Dr Kirkup's report is here.

13:47:Fixing parliamentBBC Radio 4

Yesterday evening's warning from Speaker John Bercow that parliament will have to be "abandoned" if steps aren't taken to fix the Palace of Westminster in the next 20 years have got Westminster wondering what will actually happen to the building. John Thurso MP, the House of Commons commissioner, says patience is needed. "What we're determined to do is take a decision that offers the best value for money for the taxpayer," he tells The World At One. The problem is they won't know what that decision is until they've received professional advice, he explains. Read our story on John Bercow's comments here.

13:40:Lobby latestIain WatsonPolitical correspondent, BBC News

Some points from this morning's lobby briefing:

Cabinet this morning was treated to a presentation on "women and equalities" by Nicky Morgan and Jo Swinson; another on life sciences (particularly the human genome project) by Jeremy Hunt; and, given the Mexican state visit, the foreign secretary outlined British policy on Latin America.

Sir John Major has been asked to attend Boris Nemtsov's funeral in Moscow. The PM's spokesman denied this was a provocative act towards President Putin, saying: "We want constructive relationships... We thought it was fitting for him to represent us."

The PM's spokesman wouldn't be drawn on when parliament would be recalled after the election and if the PM felt it should be swift in order to give MPs involvement in any coalition negotiations. "Announcements will be announced when they are announced," said the PM's spokesman, helpfully.

13:36:Men of Pakistani originBBC Radio 4

Chief Constable Sara Thornton, of Thames Valley Police, tells The World At One there's a clear pattern, as backed up by today's report, that the perpetrators of child sexual exploitation are mainly of Pakistani origin. "The report suggests somebody needs to do some independent research as to why this is happening," she says. "The government could commission it but it needs to be academically robust and it needs to be independent."

13:27:Beyond the front lineBBC Radio 4

Maris Stratulis, from the British Association of Social Workers, says today's report on child sexual exploitation has identified that the culture change everyone agrees is necessary must extend well beyond the actions of junior staff. "There's a disproportion here of people focusing on the frontline practitioners," she tells The World At One. "We want leaders and governors to be asking the right questions." The serious case review into Oxfordshire indicated that practitioners had been working in isolation, rather than sharing information and working collaboratively.

@rowenamasonRowena Mason, political correspondent at the Guardian

tweets: Commons nearly empty for UQ on Yarl's Wood. No sign of the home secretary or immigration minister - Karen Bradley speaks for govt

13:21:'We are not a Rotherham'BBC Radio 4

Oxfordshire County Council's former leader Keith Mitchell tells The World At One that he is "not sure I ever really understood the scale" of the abuse in Oxford. "Oxfordshire has been and remains a good council. I just wish we'd done it earlier," he says. "We are not a Rotherham, I won't have that said. We are a good council and we have put in place the measures that are necessary to stamp this abuse out."

13:17:'Inhuman' system

Conservative MP and business minister Nick Boles has expressed concern about "inhuman inflexibility" in the benefits sanction system. The remarks were made to a group of charity volunteers and reported by the Grantham Journal.

"With some of these cases it seems to me that there is an inhuman inflexibility that is imposed on them… The sanctions are a worry, and do need to be looked at," he said. "In the run-up to the election there is not a lot we can do, but we can get the case studies together where the sanctions seem to be most unreasonable… The beginning of a parliamentary term, when people are looking at things afresh, is the best time to make a change."

13:09:Yarl's Wood urgent questionHouse of CommonsParliament

The next item on the Commons agenda is about Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre, which has come under scrutiny for the way it treats asylum seekers. Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, has called for inquiries into Yarl's Wood in the past. Now he and other MPs will seek to establish, via an urgent question, what the government will do after undercover filming showed one management team member describing inmates as "caged animals".

13:05:Labour's pardons promise

Here's our full story on Labour's plan to introduce a Turing's Law. "What was right for Alan Turing's family should be right for other families as well," Ed Miliband said.

13:01:Cooper on child sexual exploitation

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has been speaking about the Oxfordshire serious case review. She says it's "yet another example of children simply not being listened to when exploited and abused". She adds: "I think the government's response is a bit of a missed opportunity, because we need stronger laws on abduction and exploitation to stop these crimes, stronger requirements for institutions to respond, but also stronger prevention with compulsory sex and relationship education in schools."

12:58:Clegg talks religion

Despite being well-known as an atheist, Nick Clegg has given an interview to Premier Christian Radio. The deputy prime minister said he attends mass most weeks with his wife and children and does so "with great joy". "I sometimes think it must be the most wonderful thing to be infused with faith. It's not something that's happened to me, it's not happened to me yet and I would embrace it." He said he might be an atheist but had "never had that much time for what I call vociferous secularism", adding: "I'm always a bit sceptical of anyone who acts with raging certainty about anything."

12:55:Sex education responseHouse of CommonsParliament

Here's what Nicky Morgan had to say in response to Tristram Hunt's request for her support on sex education: "I am fully in favour of full PSHE education on consent. But it has to be excellent, it can't just be about ticking boxes."

12:51:Sex educationHouse of CommonsParliament

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt, at the end of a long list of questions to Nicky Morgan, calls for "age-appropriate statutory sex and relationship education to teach young people about consent and healthy sexual relationships". Her agreement would result in cross-party backing for the idea, he says.

12:51:'Brave' victimsHouse of CommonsParliament

Oxford West MP Nicola Blackwood, who is a member of the home affairs select committee, asks Nicky Morgan to make it a "personal priority to ensure survivors [of child sexual exploitation] have the long-term and sustainable support they need". "We must not only pay tribute to the victims for their bravery in coming forward but we must also recognise such serious abuse has long-term and complex consequences," she says. The education secretary, above, says she can be reassured the government will do all it can to help them.

12:47:Survivors' fundHouse of CommonsParliament

There will be a £7m fund to support victims and survivors of child abuse and sexual exploitation, Nicky Morgan adds. But Labour MP for Oxford East Andrew Smith calls for a public inquiry, saying child protection services were "chaotic" and there was a "failure to act on clear evidence on sexual exploitation".

12:45:'Broken windows matter'Daily PoliticsLive on BBC Two

David Lammy, whose report for Policy Exchange has prompted debate today about police's ability to deal with crime, calls for a "debate with the public about whether we still take theft seriously or not". He insists that "broken windows matter" because failing to address low-level crime will only result in more serious crime taking place. Commentator Tim Montgomerie says crime is a "success story" for the government but accepts "there are parts of the country where crime is still a daily problem".

12:43:'Horrific abuse'House of CommonsParliament

Nicky Morgan is summarising the measures the government is taking to ensure the "horrific abuse" detailed in the Oxford report is "stamped out" and never happens again. David Cameron will chair a meeting of ministers, police and council safeguarding officers later.

12:39:Morgan abuse statementHouse of CommonsParliament

Foreign Office questions has now come to an end. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is now making a statement about the serious case review into child sexual abuse in Oxford, saying what has emerged in the report is "sickening". She says child abuse had been a "scourge in many communities around the country".

12:36:Diplomatic languageHouse of CommonsParliament

Ever wondered how many UK diplomats speak Russian or Arabic? Tory MP John Baron is curious, suggesting that linguistic shortcomings may have contributed to the UK being "unsighted" over recent developments in Ukraine or the Middle East. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood says there are 170 Arabic-speaking mandarins in his department and a similar number of Russian speakers.

12:35:National securityDaily PoliticsLive on BBC Two

Margaret Beckett, chair of parliament's national security strategy committee, is on the Daily Politics explaining why she and her fellow parliamentarians have released a report criticising the government for its limited interest in developing a strategy. "What there doesn't seem to us to be is the kind of coordinated approach that we'd hoped for," she says. More broadly, she says fears about defence cuts are a "legitimate anxiety". The government hasn't been able to make decisions, having stepped back to consider the bigger picture. "They identify high-priority risks but they don't necessarily link them to the spending decisions," she says.

12:30:Religious freedomsHouse of CommonsParliament

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander says a new job is needed in the Foreign Office: a global envoy for religious freedom, reporting to the foreign secretary, which he says a Labour government will create. Philip Hammond sounds unimpressed. "Our general approach is to try to get things done," he says, by using the tools already in place. "I don't think simply creating new posts delivers in quite the way the shadow foreign secretary thinks."

12:27:Benefit sanctionsThe Guardian

Business minister Nick Boles has criticised the government's "inhuman" benefit sanctions regime, the Guardian reports. It quotes him telling constituents the current system does "need to be looked at".

12:20:'Hidden from view'Daily PoliticsLive on BBC Two

The eye-catching move by the government to impose criminal sanctions on those who fail to ensure the children they're responsible for are protected from sexual exploitation is in line with rules already in place in the NHS, Cllr David Simmonds, from the Local Government Association, tells the Daily Politics. "It's absolutely clear this has been hidden from view - we need to make sure that mums and dads know the signs, that teachers know the signs when they pop up in the classroom."

12:21:Wrong questionHouse of CommonsParliament

A little light relief in the Commons as Labour's Mary Glindon realises she has asked the wrong question. She apologises and changes tack - pressing ministers on the use of the death penalty around the world.

12:19:'Off the rails'House of CommonsParliament

Philip Hammond tells MPs that the European Union has "gone off the rails" over the past 20 years and substantial reforms are needed, "not just some backroom deal". He says the Conservatives' pledge of a referendum has "lit a fire" under the situation in Europe and claims that he has the backing of at least 23 other members for its position.

12:16:Child sexual exploitation: a national threat?Norman SmithBBC Assistant Political Editor

The thing that really stands out for me, Norman Smith tells the Daily Politics, is Mr Cameron's decision to categorise child exploitation as a "national threat". At one level that is to ensure police forces cooperate with each other in trying to tackle child sexual exploitation. At another it is an attempt to give a wake-up call to the nation. Mr Cameron's view is it is a national moment because he believes it is endemic, not confined to one or two towns.

12:11:Iranian diplomacyHouse of CommonsParliament

Former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt says he's soon going to be welcoming the first delegation of Iranian parliamentarians to visit Britain in a very long time. This is good news, Human Rights Minister Tobias Ellwood believes. "It's through full and frank engagement we can get our message across," he says.

12:06:Now on your TV screens...Daily PoliticsLive on BBC Two

Over on BBC2, the Daily Politics is now underway, with journalists Tim Montgomerie and Steve Richards offering their views at the start of the programme. You can watch by clicking on the 'live coverage' tab at the top of this page.

11:59:Russia sanctionsHouse of CommonsParliament

Labour backbencher Willie Bain calls for tougher sanctions against Russia, and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond agrees that they should be strengthened immediately. "We need to have that tool in place," he argues, in order to incentivise Russia into complying with the timetable set out in Minsk. "Our role has been, is, and will remain, to stiffen the resolve of all 28 EU members to be united and to be aligned with the United States in deploying what has been a very powerful weapon."

The government's search for a British spaceport has made some progress today, with the number of potential locations on the shortlist narrowed down to just six. These are:

Campbeltown Airport

Glasgow Prestwick Airport

Llanbedr Airfield

Newquay Cornwall Airport

RAF Leuchars

Stornoway Airport

The next step, according to this morning's consultation response, is working out more clearly what exactly a spaceport actually is. "The government is developing a detailed technical specification of spaceport requirements to increase understanding of 'what is a spaceport' and the detailed technical requirements for spaceplane operations," it says. More in our story here.

11:50:Tony Blair's futureHouse of CommonsParliament

Angus Robertson. the SNP leader in Westminster, asks whether the UK government still has confidence in Tony Blair's efforts as a Middle East peace envoy. "Mr Blair has made large number of visits to the region, he continues to engage," Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says, before adding: "And I've no doubt his role will be kept under constant review."

@paulwaughPaul Waugh, editor of Politics.Home.com

tweets: This is Philip Hammond's final Foreign Office Questions before the election. Will it be his final ever FCO Qs as Foreign Sec?

tweets: Sir Malcolm Rifkind returns to political arena after cash-for-access scandal to urge govt to help Libya become 'moderate secular force'

11:45:Rifkind returnsHouse of CommonsParliament

Sir Malcolm Rifkind gets a loud "hear hear" from Conservative MPs before asking his question about helping democratic forces in Libya to create a "decent country". Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond laments that it's not as simple as just getting behind a democratic authority - because it's not clear exactly where that democratic authority comes from. "It is vital to our security that there is a stable government in Libya," he agrees. Of course, Sir Malcolm was in the headlines last week over a cash for access sting.

11:43:Commons under wayHouse of CommonsParliament

The Commons' sitting day has now begun, with proceedings starting after prayers with Foreign Office questions. Also coming up over lunchtime are an urgent question on child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire; a further urgent question from home affairs committee chairman Keith Vaz on Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre; a statement from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on the independent investigation into Maternity Services at Morecambe Bay; and then a further statement from Housing Minister Brandon Lewis on the proposed new garden city at Ebbsfleet.

Jim Leivers, Oxfordshire County Council's director for children, education and families, said the council "made many mistakes and missed opportunities to stop the abuse". The report "shows very clearly that the girls were badly let down by the people and organisations that could - and should - have protected them", he continued. "The dreadful experiences faced by these young women can never be put right. But the safeguarding board is now in a much better position to prevent, disrupt and detect these crimes."

11:13:Police apologise

Chief Constable Sara Thornton, of Thames Valley Police, said: "We are ashamed of the shortcomings identified in this report and we are determined to do all we can to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

@LisaSkyNewsLisa Dowd, Sky News correspondent

tweets: Report: victims white girls, perpetrators mainly Asian men. Recommends more research at national level into this issue.

11:10:'Unacceptable delays'BBC News Channel

Independent chair of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board Maggie Blyth is outlining a catalogue of failures. Parents weren't listened to, children were treated as though they had consented to the abuse. While there was "no disregard of clear warnings" at a top level, there were "unacceptable delays" in reacting to what was going on that allowed perpetrators to get away with their crimes, she goes on.

@sandralavilleSandra Laville, senior correspondent for the Guardian

tweets: There was a professional tolerance of children having sex with older men

11:05:'Indescribably awful'

Alan Bedford, the author of the independent review, wrote: "What happened to the child victims of the sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire was indescribably awful.

"The child victims and their families feel very let down. Their accounts of how they perceived professional work are disturbing and chastening."

11:04:

As many as 373 girls might have suffered abuse in Oxfordshire, the report has found.

@LisaSkyNewsLisa Dowd, Sky News correspondent

tweets: Serious case review finds no evidence of 'wilful professional neglect' despite girls being trafficked & raped for a decade

BBC links

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